Why was Harvey Weinstein banned from the Vanity Fair Oscars party? Former editor Graydon Carter shares details in new book 

Former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter has claimed that Harvey Weinstein was the only prominent figure to receive a lifetime ban from the magazine's annual Oscars party. Carter is also credited for launching the party after taking over the magazine in July 1992.

In his upcoming memoir, titled When the Going Was Good, Carter wrote that Hollywood producer and convicted s*x offender Harvey Weinstein was banned from the Vanity Fair Oscars party because he "regularly showed up with more guests than his invitation indicated and would bully the staff."

In an exclusive interview with Page Six, published on March 23, 2025, Graydon Carter further spoke of the ban and said:

"He got banned from everything because he was rude to the staff and I didn’t like that. It was not from drink. It was just within him."

Graydon Carter left Vanity Fair in 2017. He is also credited for being the founder of the digital newsletter Air Mail.

For the uninformed, Harvey Weinstein has been accused by over 80 women of alleged s*xual assault and r*pe since 2017. In 2020, the Hollywood producer was found guilty of first-degree s*xual assault and third-degree r*pe and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

In 2022, Weinstein was found guilty of three more charges, receiving 16 years of further sentence. However, the convicted producer is currently awaiting retrial as his New York judgment was overturned due to "egregious errors."

---

Graydon Carter talks about coming up with the idea of the Vanity Fair Oscars Party

The Daily Front Row Second Annual Fashion Media Awards - Inside - Source: Getty

In his upcoming memoir, When The Going Was Good, former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter opened up about his early years at the magazine, which he described as "dreadful." The 75-year-old Canadian journalist took over the magazine after founding a satirical magazine, Spy.

Carter mentioned that the atmosphere in the office was "poisonous" and "deeply hostile and subversive" as many of the staff members were still loyal to the previous editor-in-chief, Tina Brown.

In an interview with Page Six, Graydon Carter recalled how he came up with the idea of a Vanity Fair Oscars Party, now an integral part of Hollywood tradition. The idea came after the death of Hollywood agent Swifty Lazar in December 1993.

Carter believed Vanity Fair could fill the void with their own party bash. The first Vanity Fair Oscars party was held in 1994 with "150-odd people for dinner and then another 150 to 200 after the show."

"I don’t know why I thought that. I had not thrown any big parties up to that point. But I do believe that, if you think there is a possibility of failure, don’t have too many eyes on it," Carter said.

According to Graydon Carter, the party grew so quickly that Sara Marks, one of the editors who was in charge of the guest list, became "the object of bribery, threats, and even abuse." The former editor claimed that a Saudi prince once offered to pay "$150,000 to $250,000" to be a part of the bash.

Graydon Carter also recalled the rules that any star carrying their Oscar could get into the party through the "speed lane" while others had to wait in a line or were turned down.

"Get as many movie stars and as many movie stars with Oscar statues in one room as humanly possible. That was our complete focus," the Canadian journalist added.

Carter further mentioned that Sara Marks kept a "complaints box" during those days, where the staff could nominate celebrities to be banished from the party. Courtney Love was one of the names that landed in the box after she reportedly insisted to Carter to let her "manager" into the Oscars party as he had got his "car keys, money, and drugs."

Graydon Carter sent Love back to Marks, who did not help her out. As a result, Love reportedly created a scene and called Marks a "c*nt" in public.

In an interview with Page Six, Carter also stated how he would do things differently if he were still the editor of Vanity Fair. The veteran journalist left the magazine in 2017. Much like his idea of an Oscars party, Carter would like to start an Emmys party. He said:

“I’d probably do an Emmys party. If we went out to dinner and we only discussed things we’d seen recently, 80% would be on TV. I haven’t watched the Oscars in seven years."

Carter described his 25-year career with Vanity Fair as "swathed in cashmere." When he stepped down from his role, he wanted to leave "while the magazine was still on top," according to his quotes given to the New York Times.

---

Graydon Carter's memoir, When the Going Was Good: An Editor’s Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines, will be released by Penguin Press on March 25, 2025.